Re: Opinion / Respect

On Wed, 29 May 2002 05:32:27 -0700 Don M <dmaddox1@hot.rr.com> wrote:
 
>> All I can say is that Australians tend to be a bit more forthright
than polite. (You never would have guessed, right? :-) ) <<

> I knew there was a reason I liked you guys... <

It's a cultural tradition, generally referred to as "respect without 
subservience" -- that is, give a person the respect to which he or she 
is due, but if they're being a bloody idiot, tell them so! Ofttimes 
cited as the reason for such things as Oz's aviation safety record, and 
guaranteed to well and truly put the wind up certain Poms (especially 
those writing for tabloids).

I've seen this in practice, and well remember the amazed looks I got 
from workmates when I called the Chief Designer at a nameless British 
aircraft factory on his apparent willingness to overlook the 
"inconvenient" results of stress calculations that I'd spent weeks on. 
The DO grapevine had me losing my temper with him and... well, I was 
never quite sure what I was supposed to have done after that; no-one 
was game to tell me! <g> Still, I got them to do proper tests on the 
thing -- which it passed, so we were both right!

Phil
----
"I think... I think I am! Therefore I am... I think?"
				       -- The Moody Blues